Newsletter-OKC-2010-Summer Edition
Transcription
Newsletter-OKC-2010-Summer Edition
Summer 2010 THE CONNECTION Association of Legal Administrators Oklahoma City Chapter From the President’s Desk… The first thing that I would like to say is that I am so fortunate to be the President of the ALAOKC Chapter in 2010-2011. I am taking office after a series of incredibly competent leaders, who have left everything in perfect working order. Our Chapter leadership has a history of caring and giving their time in developing a truly wonderful Chapter. My first order of business is to thank them for their many years of service and for making this job easier for their successors. Second, I want to thank all of the past Committee Chairs for all of their dedication, with which this Chapter would not have thrived. There are also so many members who have also worked tirelessly for this Chapter, and they deserve our recognition, too. However, we continue to need new leaders with new ideas – it motivates and strengthens the leadership team. With that in mind, I would like to thank all of those members who have agreed to be officers, chairpersons, and just hard workers for the Chapter in the upcoming year. Your strength is your fresh ideas; please bring them to the table and know that we welcome all of your suggestions. I would like to achieve more and stronger connections between all of our Chapter members, both old and new. Why is it important that we connect? No one has endless time and energy, especially with the demands presented by our job and families. Your fellow members can be there for you in times of need. The one thing that has been said repeatedly about ALA, is that the camaraderie and knowledge we gain from this Association make it great. Let's take advantage of this and connect with a fellow member – maybe somebody you never took the time to meet before, or just renewing an old friendship. I personally hope to make new friends this year. Please take a moment to introduce yourself to me, and I promise not to abuse our new friendship by assigning too many tasks (well, maybe just a few)! Joanne Branesky ALA – Join the Winning Team! 2010 Vendor Fair and New Member Luncheon By Julie Montgomery and Lisa Rose, 2010 Vendor Relations Co-Chairs The 9th Annual Vendor Expo and New Member Luncheon was held March 24, 2010. This year's theme was "ALA – Join the Winning Team!" Our keynote speaker was Todd Huston, presenting "More than Mountains." The event was a huge hit with over 50 vendors and 70 guests in attendance. Working with the Vendor Fair committee to ensure the event was a success was fun and rewarding. Everyone had a great sense of humor and meetings were always entertaining yet productive. We certainly experienced a great sense of satisfaction working with such a terrific team of fellow ALA professionals, all willing to do their part, and all strongly committed to making this event a success. We are very grateful to our returning vendors as well as to the many new vendors participating this year for the first time. The revenues generated from these vendor sponsorships help to support our educational events such as CLI, Regional and National Conferences as well as our monthly teleconferences. The revenues also help to fund our Community Challenge. The vendors are committed to our success in part because they know our chapter supports them. We encourage each and every ALA member to attend our vendor appreciation event which will be held on Thursday, August 5th. This is one way for us to show the vendors how much we appreciate all they do for our chapter. The next time you are looking for a new product or service, please give our vendors a call. Together Everyone Achieves More, and we are all on the winning TEAM! The Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) Annual Conference & Exposition is the legal management profession’s most comprehensive event of its kind. Featuring dynamic and relevant education presented by recognized leaders in their field, the ALA Annual Conference will enhance your knowledge, develop your management skills, and enable you to achieve greater personal and professional growth. ALA’s three-day Exposition is a vital extension of the educational program and provides the opportunity to update yourself on the latest technologies, find solutions to business issues, solve problems, uncover emerging trends, and develop valuable resources and partnerships in the legal industry. The Annual Conference also provides ample opportunities for networking. Various events, including receptions, lunches, and idea exchanges, will allow you the time to discuss your day-to-day challenges and unique issues with other legal management professionals from around the world. You’re sure to learn tips, tactics, and wisdom that you can implement back at your workplace. 2011 Annual Conference & Exposition May 23-26, 2011 Orlando World Center Marriott Orlando, Florida For more information, please visit: www.alanet.org ENCOURAGING YOUR STAFF By Beverly McElroy As administrators, we ALL know how important our staff is to the production of our offices. In fact, it cannot be done without them. The problem that we face as administrators is that our attorneys very seldom encourage their secretaries and legal assistants. In fact, quite the opposite is true. They tend to discourage them by criticizing their work, their attitude, sometimes even the way they look that day. We all want our staff to look nice, to do a great job AND to have a great attitude. I find that sometimes it is the administrator who has to encourage and to let the staff know they are vital to our firm’s and client’s needs. There can be several ways to do this WITHOUT spending the firm’s money or the attorney’s time. 1. Do your own job well. The staff watch and they notice. 2. Have a listening ear and really LISTEN when there are problems. 3. Do NOT participate in gossip around the office and discourage it as much as possible. 4. Let the staff person know that it is noticed when they do a good job. Let them know they are appreciated and acknowledge their successes. 5. Occasionally, write a note card to the staff - making them aware of your appreciation for them. 6. If the firm has a small budget for perks, occasionally (especially on holidays or their birthdays), give a small gift. 7. As much as possible, include them in decision making. 8. If there are mistakes in their work, mentor them or have another experienced staff mentor them. Make sure you point out the positive areas first, then show them how they can do better in their work. 9. Build bridges install of walls. Let the staff know you have an open door and that you EXPECT them to come to your first - not complain to the other staff members and cause discouragement among the entire office. 10. If possible, establish lunch and learn sessions with the staff ever so often. This encourages the staff to come together, learn something (CPR, dress for success, proper internet manners, theft protection, etc.). Most of the time, the firm can acquire free speakers. Provide lunch or have the staff pitch in for lunch. 11. Always delight in the successes of your staff, whether it is work related or not. Truly be interested in their lives outside the office as well as their work inside the office. (I know this is difficult if you have a large staff, but the rewards are great.) 12. Finally, BE YOURSELF. You do not need to pretend you are a SAINT or someone who does no wrong. Just treat others like you would like to be treated. Again, I realize that law firms have various cultures, various goals and budgets are tight, but note that the staff are vital to the firm’s success and treat them with respect. DO discipline when necessary, or you may even have to let some staff go when they do not produce. Encourage the attorneys to occasionally tell the secretary or legal assistant that they are happy with their work or compliment them every once in a while. Words are powerful. This is true whether positive or negative. Be aware you cannot take words BACK, once they are uttered. Finally, SMILE my fellow administrators. It’s going to be a great year. Members of the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) and other legal industry professionals have a special week to call their own: Professional Legal Management Week (PLMW). In its sixth year in 2010, PLMW provides a forum for recognizing those in legal management for what they do and the roles they play in their organizations’ successes. Among PLMW’s objectives are to provide awareness, understanding and education about the legal management profession; to increase knowledge of the diverse roles within the profession; and to communicate to key stakeholders the importance of and need for professional management teams in all facets of enterprise leadership. Local News and Upcoming Events: Nominations for Regional Officers, Director and ALA President-Elect were submitted through August 2nd. Please think of a fellow Chapter member (or even yourself) and submit their names! If you think you might attend the Regional Conference, you should be aware that the OU/Texas game is scheduled to begin shortly after the conference ends. If you are interested in staying at the hotel for an extra night to watch the game at the hotel with our Oklahoma Group, please contact Cathy Collins or Joanne Branesky. We are working on some alternatives for a private room for us to watch without those "evil" Texans interfering! GableGotwals has been designated as a Best Place to Work in Oklahoma and was ranked fourth among all small to medium sized businesses by Best Companies Group. Congratulations to Julie Montgomery. Steve Davis, Hartzog Conger Cason & Neville, LLP, was selected to receive the Attorney of the Year Award for 2010 given by the Central Oklahoma Association of Legal Assistants (COALA). Brown & Gould, PLLC is moving to a new location on August 1st. Their new address will be 136 NW 136th St., Oklahoma City, OK 73103. Their new phone number will be 235-4500, and their fax will be 235-4507. The building will being undergoing some renovations, so Tina Brown will definitely have her work cut out for her. After the renovations, hopefully by November 1st, they will have office space for lease that they hope to lease to other attorneys. Beverly McElroy with Mock Schwabe is thrilled to announce that her oldest daughter, Jenn, who lost her husband 10 years ago, is getting remarried! Congratulations to the mother of the bride! David A. Walls and A. Michelle Campney have joined the offices of Phillips Murrah as of July 6, 2010. Region 4 Conference & Expo – Online registration is now open. Register now for Early Bird cost which ends September 1, 2010. Vendor Appreciation Event – Thursday, August 5th, 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at Trattoria Il Centro; 500 West Main Street. ALA-OKC Contact Information Joanne A. Branesky, President Hartzog, Conger, Cason & Neville, LLP 201 Robert S. Kerr, Suite 1600 Oklahoma City, OK 73102 Telephone: (405) 235-7000 Fax: (405) 996-3403 [email protected] Lisa Rose, Vice President / President Elect Crowe and Dunlevy 20 North Broadway Oklahoma City, OK 73102 Telephone: (405) 235-7700 [email protected] Nancy Moore, Secretary Fellers, Snider, Blankenship, Bailey & Tippens, P.C. Chase Tower 100 N. Broadway, Suite 1700 Oklahoma City, OK 73102 Telephone: (405) 232-0621 Fax: (405) 232-9659 [email protected] Bette Bialis, Treasurer Goolsby, Proctor, Heefner & Gibbs, P.C. 701 N. Broadway, Suite 400 Oklahoma City, OK 73102 Telephone: (405) 524-2400 Fax: (405) 525-6004 [email protected] Cathy Collins, Past-President Andrews Davis, PC 100 N. Broadway Avenue, Suite 3300 Oklahoma City, OK 73102 Telephone: (405) 272-9241 Fax: (405) 235-8766 [email protected] Shelia R. Lyon, Newsletter Editor Walls, Walker, Harris & Wolfe, PLLC 3030 N.W. Expressway, Suite 500 Oklahoma City, OK 73112 Telephone: (405) 702-5300 Fax: (405) 702-5399 [email protected] Helpful and Interesting Websites! ALA – http://www.alanet.org/ ALA-OKC Chapter - http://www.alaokc.org/ American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers: www.aipb.org Bricktown - http://www.bricktownokc.com/ CLM - http://www.alanet.org/clm/ COALA - http://coala.cc/ Downtown Oklahoma City - http://www.downtownokc.com/ LMRC - http://thesource.alanet.org/portal/server.pt NALA - http://www.nala.org/ Oklahoma Bar Association - http://www.okbar.org/ Oklahoma City Events - http://www.oklahomacity.com/events.php Oklahoma City Visitors Bureau - http://www.visitokc.com/ Oklahoma County Bar Association - http://www.okcbar.org/ Oklahoma Paralegal Association - http://www.okparalegal.org/ PLMW - http://www.plmw.org/index.html SHRM - http://www.shrm.org/Pages/default.aspx Wimgo - http://wimgo.com/oklahoma-city-ok Workforce Management - http://www.workforce.com/ Copyright © by ALA: Association of Legal Administrators - OKC Chapter All Rights Reserved. The OKC Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators is a separate legal entity from the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA). ALA licenses the use of its name, mark, logos and other protected properties to chapters which are in good standing. ALA disclaims all liability of responsibility whatsoever for the actions, representations and liabilities of the OKC Chapter, specifically including those of any nature whatsoever arising from or out of the content of other features related to the OKC Chapter Newsletter. In no event shall ALA be deemed the guarantor of the OKC Chapter.
Similar documents
Newsletter-OKC-2011-Winter Edition
Copyright © by ALA: Association of Legal Administrators - OKC Chapter All Rights Reserved. The OKC Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators is a separate legal entity from the Association...
More information